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Equipment
Introduction "They say that an armed society is a polite society, and China is a very polite society." ~Lord Captain Walter Blackthorne, "On the Peoples of the Orient" Equipment Bonuses:'' Most equipment offers bonuses to certain skills under certain conditions; a sword offers +1 bonus to Offense and +2 to Damage. These bonuses are ''always added to successes on the roll, not to number of coins rolled. This is primarily to cut down on amount of rolling and speed up gameplay. When attacking with a sword, a character would roll Melee; if they got four successes, the value of that attack would be 5 to hit and 6 damage if the attack lands. Starting Equipment: The amount of equipment that a character can purchase is based primarily on their Resources skill; the cost of equipment is measured in resource points or fractions thereof. For each total point of Resources, they have one point to spend on equipment. Unless otherwise noted, most items cost one point of Resources each. Thus, a character with six points of Resources would have six pieces of equipment in their inventory. A character does not have to spend spend all of their Resource points at creation; they may wish to hold onto several as liquid assets to be used during the game. Making Equipment: When playing a technologically inclined character, much of their equipment is going to be personally made rather than purchased. With a few exceptions, all items below have a minimum skill and rank necessary to create them; for example, to make a suit of heavy armor requires Craftsmanship Rank 3. The primary advantage of making your own gear is that it's substantially cheaper than buying it. When making a character, any of your starting equipment that you have the necessary skill to create costs half ''the normal number of Resource points. Creation is governed by four skills, detailed below: ''Craftsmanship: The manufacture of weapons, armor, and other simple items. Primarily refers to metalworking, but also includes leatherworking, sewing, carpentry, and general handiness. Used for creating melee weapons, armor, and many simple tools. Engineering: The manufacture of complex machinery with moving parts. Used for making ranged weapons, vehicles, and advanced tools. Alchemistry: The manufacture of chemical compounds – explosives, incendiaries, adhesives, and so on. Used for making explosives, ammunition, and certain advanced tools. Medicine: The manufacture of pharmaceutical. Used for making drugs and poisons. Finding Equipment in Game:'' Through the course of their adventures, heroes may find items of value – the various flaming swords and poison stashes of the assassins sent to kill them, for example. These items can be added to their inventory, but at the Narrator's discretion, may have limited uses; the stolen poison runs out, or the flaming sword breaks down without the care of it's owner. '''Accumulating Wealth: '''And of course, the heroes may find themselves getting large windfalls of wealth: getting paid for a job, or stealing cash from an enemy. These can be at least partially expressed as bonus Resource points. '''Buying Equipment in Game:' ''In order to buy a piece of desired equipment, one must first find someone selling it; one cannot usually just nip down to the local Power Armor Store. Roll a Streetwise check; if your results equal or exceed the difficulty of the item (ie, four successes for a suit of power armor), they know of a local seller for what they need. If they don't, they may be able to sell or trade their current equipment. The buy equipment, one must have a number of spare Resource points available to meet the cost. If they do not, they'll have to sacrifice some of their own equipment to make up the difference (“I'll trade you this sword for that horse”). ''Haggling: ''If you wish to negotiate for the sale price of of a piece of equipment, roll a Persuasion check. If you get more successes than the difficulty of the item, you pay the normal price. If you fail, the vendor will jack up the price, and charge you double. If you get a critical success, you barter down the price, and only pay half. At the narrator's discretion, some seller's may request a favor in lieu of payment, leading it's own adventure. An unscrupulous pharmacist might give the heroes a stash of deadly poison for free, on the condition that they use some of it on one of his rivals. '''Making Equipment in Game:'' One of the best parts of playing a technological character is being able to make new gadgets over the course of the game. By default, most items take a day to construct. Certain very large or complex items (say, building an airship) may require substantially longer periods of time. If the skill check equals or exceeds the creation difficulty of the item (ie, 4 successes make a difficulty 3 automatic rifle), they are successful. They must expend the normal creation cost of the item (typically, half a point of Resources). This may represent cash spent, selling things to pay for materials, or salvaging old equipment to make new equipment. If the skill check equals or exceeds double ''the difficulty of an item (ie, getting six successes to make said automatic rifle), they have a critical success, and you were able to make the item out of spare materials you had lying around; you do not need to expend ''any Resource to make the item in question. Sidebar: Resources and Wealth As you may have noticed, Resource costs herein don't exactly scale to real-world values of an object; a horse costs substantially more than a sword, but both are listed as costing one point of Resources. Resource exists primarily as a balance factor for equipment rather than as a representation of in-game wealth. Indeed, you may be playing as a wealthy '''Section One: Boxing Styles Though not technically weapons, systems of unarmed combat (hereto referred to as Boxing Styles) are mechanically similar to weapons, and thus are listed in this chapter. Learning a Boxing Style costs one point of Resources, and a character can learn as many styles as they can afford. If a character learns multiple styles, they cannot mix and match the benefits, but must instead switch between styles each round (usually accompanied by a flourish of stylish movements). Thus, a character trained in Taijiquan and Shaolin Fist could not use their Shaolin to attack and Taiji to defend in the same round. The term “Boxing” is an English translation of the Chinese Quanfa, ''literally “fist method.” While the name suggests a system of punching, the term refers to any system of unarmed combat; Chinese boxing styles famously incorporate kicks, strikes with the knees and elbows, joint locks, grappling maneuvers, and so on. When creating a Boxing style, there are three attributes: Offense, Defense, Damage. A style has three points to put into those attributes, with no more than 3 and no less than 0. Lastly, all Boxing styles fall into one of three Types. '''Offense Rating:' ''This is the level of offensive accuracy of a style, and this number of Successes is added to your Attack rolls when attacking with Hand to Hand. Wing Chun, with it's rapid fire punches, is an example of a high attack style. '''Defense Rating:' ''This is the level of parrying and defensive ability of a style, and this number of successes is added to your Parry rolls when defending with Hand to Hand. Taijiquan, with it's famous ability to redirect a foe's energy, is an example of a high defense style. '''Damage Rating:' ''This is the destructive power of the style, and this number of successes is added to your Damage rolls when you land an attack with Hand to Hand. Pigua Quan, with it's sweeping overhand strikes, is an example of a high damage style. '''Type:' ''In addition to their core attributes, boxing styles are categorized into three ''types, each of which has advantage over one and disadvantage under another. They are: Finesse: ''Finesse styles rely on quick and complex movements, attacking with swarms of punches or complex trapping maneuvers. Finesse styles are have Advantage on Control styles, which they easily overwhelm, but Disadvantage on Power styles, who withstand their barrages to deliver a decisive blow. Examples include Snake Fist, Wing Chun, and Escrima. ''Power: ''Power styles are about taking small hits to deliver big hits. Power styles have advantage over Finesse styles, who walk straight into their power shots, but have Disadvantage against Control styles, who turn their own energies against them. Examples include Shaolin Fist, Bajiquan, and Muay Thai. ''Control: Control styles are about evasion, grappling, and counter-attacking. Control styles have advantage on Power Styles, who open themselves up to big counter attacks, but have Disadvantage against Finesse styles, who leave few openings. Examples include Taijiquan, Qin Na, and Jujutsu. Untrained Boxing:'' A character can still make Hand to Hand attacks if they don't know any Boxing Styles; in which case, they get no bonuses to Offense, Defense, or Damage, and are considered to be at Disadvantage against any Type of boxing. '''Cost: '''All boxing styles cost one point of Resources to learn. ''Sidebar: Advantage and Disadvantage In S3, tight probability curves mean that ties happen a lot. This is by intention – close rolls create tension. When a fighter has Advantage, he automatically wins on ties. The triangle of Finesse, Power, and Control is a tiebreaker method – it gives characters a slight advantage for properly exploiting their enemy's weakness. if a Finesse gets five successes on his attack and a Control fighter gets five successes on his parry, the Finesse fighter wins. If he had attacked a Power fighter, the Power fighter would have one. Table 1: Common Boxing Styles The above table is only a list of examples, and is by no means binding. If a character wants to practice a certain style of martial arts, but has a different mechanical needs, then they are free to modify them. Perhaps you study the more aggressive Chen style of Taijiquan instead of the softer Yang style, and invest more of your points in Offense and Damage and fewer in Defense. Likewise, they may change out the Type based on personal preference. For example, in Western boxing, Finesse fighters are called “Swarmers”, power fighters are called “Sluggers,” and Control fighters are called “Outboxers.” Sidebar: Names Translating names of Chinese Quanfa ''styles into English is a bit of a mess. Some are best known by their Chinese name even in English, such as Bajiquan. Others, are better known by English translations, such as Drunken Boxing. Still ''others ''are better known by their Cantonese name, such as Wing Chun. Erring on the side of clarity over uniformity, we've decided to simply put whichever name is most well-known in English speaking countries. Popular Style descriptions: '''Shaolin Fist:' The legendary fighting style of the Shaolin Temple is composed of vigorous physical conditioning routines that perfectly balance offense, defense, and power. Bajiquan: Bajiquan (“Eight Extremities Fist”) is a tough Northern martial art tradition known for it's hard-hitting punches and elbows and solid defensive structures. Long Fist: The quintessential Northern Style, Changquan ''emphasizes long stances and acrobatic kicking maneuvers. '''Wing Chun:' a popular Southern boxing style, Wing Chun (“Singing Springtime”) relies on hand trapping and rapid fire punches. Drunken Boxing: Drunken Boxing, or zuiquan, ''is a flamboyant style that mimics the movements of a staggering drunk, sometimes while also actually being one. '''Praying Mantis:' Praying Mantis boxing, or tanglangquan, ''mimics the movements of a praying mantis. It is known for it's hand trapping and joint locking techniques. '''Snake Fist:' Another popular animal style, Hequan ''emphasizes precise striking of pressure points with the tips of the fingers. '''Taijiquan:' Known to westerners as Tai Chi, Taijiquan (“Grand Ultimate Fist”) is based around esoteric Daoist principles to harmonize with their opponent's energy. It is the quintessential defensive martial art. Qin Na: The art of Qin Na, ''“locking and siezing,” refers to the practice of joint-manipulation based grappling maneuvers. '''Shuai Jiao:' Shuai Jiao is Chinese folk wrestling; similar to Judo and Mongolian wrestling, Shuai Jiao emphasizes hip throws, foot sweeps, and pickups that can crush a man as easily as any punch or kick. Hand to Hand Weaponry While “Unarmed Weaponry” is a bit of a contradiction, there are certain weapons intended to be used specifically with the methods of unarmed combat. Unarmed Weapons Gloves and Boots:'' Gloves and boots by themselves do nothing to change a character's hand to hand fighting abilities; however, they may be upgraded with technological augmentations (electricity, fire, etc.) as listed in the Augmentations table under melee weaponry. '''Hand Razors and Boot Knives:' ''There are wide variety of weapons that convert a person's punches and kicks into lethal stabs and cuts – claws, boot knives, and so on – when outfitted with such weapons, a character still uses their unarmed combat statistics, but the damage is Lethal instead of Nonlethal. '''Poison Needles:' Stabbing someone with a loaded syringe allows the user to deliver poison poison more quickly. Poisons delivered via a syringe take effect immediately, instead of at the end of the target's next action. Mandarin who, not being an equipment heavy character, has very low Resources. Conversely, a mercenary gunslinger may be fully kitted out with guns, bombs, and body armor, but have very little money to his name. 'Section Two: Melee Weaponry' Melee Weaponry is at the heart of Wuxia. Even in the steampunk era of S3, swords and chains are still just as popular of weapons as guns and bombs. Creating a Melee weapon is much the same as creating a Boxing Style. Melee weapons have a Type and three attributes: Offense, Defense, Damage. A weapon has a number of points to spend on attributes based on its size: a two-handed weapon has five points; a one-handed weapon has four points; a concealable weapon has three points. Though rare, two-handed concealable weapons (such as rope darts) have four points. Offense:'' This is the level of offensive accuracy of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your attack rolls. Hook swords, with their many blades and trapping abilities, are an example of a high offense weapon. The maximum offense of a Melee weapon is 3. '''Defense:' ''This is the level of parrying and defensive accuracy of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your Parry rolls. Tonfa, which can act as a shield as well as a club, are an example of a high defense weapon. The maximum defense of a Melee weapon is 3. '''Damage:' ''This is the destructive power of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your damage rolls. Hatchets, with their ability to leave vicious bloody wounds, are an example of a high damage weapon. The maximum Damage of a one-handed melee is 3; two-handed melee weapons have a maximum damage of 4. '''Type:' ''Like with Boxing Styles, weapons are broken into three types: Finesse, Power, and Control. ''Finesse: ''Finesse weapons rely on speed, reach, and precise striking. They easily slide through the defenses of Control weapons, but struggle with parrying the heavy blows of Power weapons. Daggers, spears, and swords are examples of Finesse weapons. ''Power: ''Power weapons tend to be slower moving, but delivering heavy and crushing blows. They overpower the defenses of Finesse weapons, but leave themselves open for the sneaky maneuvers of Control weapons. Maces, axes, and sabers are examples of Power weapons. ''Control: ''Control weapons tend to be more exotic, with hooks and spikes to catch and bind their opponent's weapon. They can easily control slow-moving power weapons, but have difficulty catching the faster-moving Finesse weapons. Hook swords, sai, and halberds are examples of control weapons. '''Concealment:' ''This measures whether or not the weapon can be easily concealed in your clothing without being seen. Generally speaking, weapons that are no larger than your forearm are considered concealable. '''Cost: '''A Melee weapon costs One point of Resources. '''Creation: '''Melee weapons are created via the Craftsmanship skill. A character cannot create a weapon with any Rating higher than his Craftsmanship rank (thus, to create a sword that had a Damage rating of 3, he would need at least Craftsmanship Rank 3). '''Improvised Weapons:' ''When wielding an object as an improvised (such as chair or table), the wielder has no bonus to Offense, Defense, or Damage, and is always at Disadvantage. '''Off-hand Weapon Positions:' Given that most people have two hands, this allows for a variety of configurations – a sword in each hand, a a sword and a shield, and so on. The rules for various configurations are explained below. Paired Weapons: ''Wielding a second weapon identical to the first allows for more angles of attack, granting a +1 bonus to Offense. Certain mis-matched weapons that have martial arts based around being used together (such as the Japanese Katana and Wakizashi, or the Tomahawk and Dagger styles of North America) can also be counted as Paired weapons. Obviously, to use a pair of weapons, a second weapon must be purchased. ''Shields: ''Shields are not terribly popular in China, but collapsing bucklers have started showing up in the urban ''jianghu. ''Shields grant a +1 bonus to Defense. Certain parrying objects – such as daggers, cloaks, and scabbards – can be considered as Shields. Like weapons, shields cost a point of Resources. ''Two Handed Weapons: ''Wielding a weapon with both hands lends extra force to its blows. A two-handed weapon typically has a higher damage rating (as noted above), but should the wielder lose use of one of his hands, it's considered an Improvised Weapon and loses all of its bonuses. ''Off-hand Empty: ''Leaving one's off-hand free does not confer any statistical bonuses, but it does enable one to execute unarmed grappling maneuvers with that hand (Pinning, Disarming, Strangling, and so on). Table of Common Melee Weapons '''Dagger: '''This refers to all manner of knives, daggers, and small edged weapons, ranging from kitchen tools to short swords. '''Butterfly Knife: '''These are short machetes, often used in pairs. In the hands of an expert, they can wreak incredible damage. Cleavers would also fall under this category. '''Straightsword (Jian):' Considered to be an elegant and gentlemanly weapon, the straightsword is popular amongst duelists and scholars. Concealed and collapsing straightswords are common among discreet fighters, and paired straightswords that share a single sheath are also fairly common. Saber (Dao): Also known as the broadsword or cutlass, the saber encompasses a whole family of one-handed chopping swords. There are many regional varieties of the saber, with some being almost straight and others have severe curves. Like the straightsword, it is not uncommon to have a matching pair of sabers which are carried in a single sheath. Long Sword (Chang Jian): '''Two-handed straightswords slightly longer blades and substantially longer hilts than one-handed straightswords, allowing them to be used with both hands for stronger and faster cuts. '''Great Saber(Da Dao): These sabers have longer handles and substantially longer or heavier blades, allowing them to strike with devastating power. Like their one-handed counterpart, great sabers come in a number of varieties, including the shorter, thicker Grass Sabers and the long-bladed Horse Cutting Sabers. Deerhorn Knives (Lujiao Dao): 'Deerhorn knives consist of overlapping pairs of crescent-shaped blades, used for binding and trapping opponent's weapons. They are almost always used in pairs. '''Hook Sword (Hu Tou Gou): '''Also known as the Tiger-Head hook, this is a weapon made popular by flashy martial artists. Consisting of a hooked blade and a multi-bladed crossguard, hook swords seem counter-intuitive, but are deadly in the hands of one who knows how to use them. These weapons are almost always used in pairs. '''Spear (Qiang): '''Spears fell out of popularity until the rise of collapsing melee weaponry. Telescoping spears are popular both among the military and civilians. '''Hatchet (Fu): '''Hatchets are a popular tool-turned melee weapon, particularly among street thugs and poorer gangsters. '''Glaive (Pudao): '''More unwieldy and old-fashioned than the spears, glaives with telescoping hafts have made something of a resurgence in recent years among triads and gangsters looking to make a big impression. '''Rod (Bian): ' Sword-length fighting rods are a common weapon. Typically constructed of heavy iron with ridged edges, they can crush as man as easily as a sword can cut him. They're particularly popular with crafty inventors, and collapsing rods, rods that break apart into chain whips, and electrified rods are all popular options. '''Tonfa: '''Popular in the fighting arts of the Ryuku Islands, the tonfa is a side-handled baton shaped vaguely like a crutch. They offer a high degree of protection, and are popular among law enforcement. '''Sai: '''Another weapon from the Ryukyu Islands, the sai is an iron truncheon with forks on either side to catch an opponents weapon. They typically are used in pairs, and are meant to restrain and disarm without killing. '''Kama: The Japanese sickle is a popular weapon that has made it's way to China. Quick and light, they make deadly precise weapons. Nunchaku (Shuang Jie Gun): '''A weapon imported from the Ryukyu island, the nunchaku has recently shown up as a popular weapon among street thugs in Chinese coast cities. Due to it's ease of concealment when out of use and flashiness when in use, it's become particularly popular among youth gangs. '''Hammer (Chui): '''This refers to everything from warhammers to construction tools re-purposed for combat. Like axes, they are powerful but inelegant. '''Staff (Gun): Like the spear, staves are most commonly seen in collapsing and telescoping varieties. Three Section Staff (San Jie Gun): A popular weapon for it's flashiness and versatility. The three section staff can be used as a flail, a whip, or set of conjoined fighting rods. Though they lack power, they inspire a certain amount of awe in skilled hands. Chain whip (Ju Jie Bian): 'Consisting of a series of iron bars conjoined by chain links, chain whips are highly concealable weapons capable of keeping many foes at bay at once. As such, they are popular hold-out weapons in the ''jianghu. '''Rope Dart (Fei Tou): A longer and more flexible version of the chain whip, the rope dart is favored for it's extreme ease of concealment and long reach. Consisting of either a weight or small blade on the end of a long rope, the Rope Dart gives the reach of a spear while still being easily concealed. Chain (Gusari): 'A popular weapon among rogues in Japan, the Gusari is a weighted chain, occasionally with a sickle on one end. They are used for binding as much as for striking, and they've become popular in China as well. '''Meteor Hammer: '''The meteor hammer is the big brother of the Rope Dart, consisting of a chain with a large weight on one or both ends. Like the rope dart, it may be used for binding and grappling maneuvers. High-Tech Melee Weaponry Sometimes, stabbing someone isn't enough; sometimes, you have to stab them ''on fire. Given the prevalence of both violence and technology in China, there is no short of mad and ingenious ways that heroes have sought to combine them. Generally, high tech weapons come in two parts: the base weapon, and the augmentation. Thus, one may choose to make an electrified straightsword, or a collapsing spear, or an incendiary chain whip (all popular choices in the streets of Shanghai and Beijing). Unless otherwise noted, each Augmentation costs one point of resources.'' ''When applying the same augmentation to a matched set of weapons (such as a pair of electrified straightswords), the cost of the augmentation only applies once; thus, said power of electrical swords would cost 2 points of Resources, not 3. Augmentations may be added to gloves and boots and such so that their benefits might be used with Hand to Hand attacks. '''Melee Weapon Technical Augmentations: Collapsing: These weapons having spring-loaded telescoping shafts, or otherwise fold down into a smaller size. Any non-concealable weapon can be made concealable by adding this modification. Multi-Weapon: Multi-weapons can be configured into multiple forms or means of attacking. Examples include staves that break apart into three section staves, swords with built in pistols, and polearms with a blade at one head and a mace at the other. The wielder of a multi-weapon may change the form of their weapon whenever they make an attack. A weapon can have more than two forms, so long as the mechanics of it can be justified; an outlaw may wield a staff that breaks into a three section staff, which in turn breaks into a nine-section whip, and so on and so forth. Each weapon has it's own separate Offense, Defense, and Damage rating, and it's own Weapon Type. Not all incorporated weapons have to be Melee weapons; one might build a pistol or flamethrower into their sword. The cost of a multi-weapon is the sum of all of it's component weapons; thus, a staff that can configures into three different forms costs three points of Resource. Most collapsible weapons are multi-weapons, even if by accident; a staff that collapses down to two feet long can be used as a light truncheon while collapsed. Any other Augmentations applied to a Multi-weapon effect all forms of it; an electrified sword breaks apart into an electrified whip. Flying: This weapon has been constructed for both ranged and melee attacks. This may be as simple as a dagger that is balanced for both throwing and close quarters combat, or as elaborate as a rocket-powered javelin that soars through the air. Such weapons have a default range of Short. A flying weapon has the same Offense and Damage rating when thrown as when used in melee combat. Mechanical:'''The blade of this weapon has been converted into something akin to a chainsaw, with blades that spin and gnash. Such weapons wield horrific blows against armored foes, but are easily stopped by armor. They deal an extra level of wounding damage against unarmored foes (thus taking a light to a moderate wound), but deal one less level of wounding against armored foes (thus taking a moderate to a light wound). '''Electrical: Inside the pommel of the weapon lies a hidden battery, which, with the flick of a switch, can send the sword surging with electrical power. Electrocution scrambles a person's internal energy, and foes struck when an electrical weapon suffer Breath damage equal to the severity of the wound (one point on a light wound, two on a moderate wound, three on a serious wound). Armor-Piercing: Armor Piercing weapons can take on several forms. For some, the blade of the weapon heats up to extreme temperatures, letting it slice through the heaviest of armor. Typically, the blade will be forged from a high-density metal such as tungsten or osmium, with a built in thermocoil that superheats it well beyond the melting points of lighter metals. For others, they add explosives onto the outside of reinforced bludgeons, creating gauntlets and sledgehammers that strike with dynamite force. Incendiary: Inside the haft or pommel of these weapons there lies a hidden reservoir of flammable gas or liquid; with the flick of a switch, the blade ignites in a blaze of fire. When ignited, the blade deals fire damage, and anyone struck by the weapon is set on fire, taking a light wound each round until extinguished. Poison-Injecting: The weapon is designed to deliver poison, replacing thrusting blades with pressurized syringes. While any bladed weapon can be coated in poison, poisons applied through an injection weapon take effect immediately, rather than at the end of the target's next action. 'Firearms and Ranged Weapons' Ranged weapons come in three broad categories – throwing weapons, one-handed pistols, and two-handed longarms. Throwing weapons tend to be small and concealable, but less damaging. Pistols are favored by outlaws, gangsters, and knight errants, given their ease of concealment. Longarms are primarily used by the military, with a good many of them ending up in criminal hands as well. When creating a custom ranged weapon, there are four factors: Offense, Damage, Range, and Type. Type: 'Ranged weapons come in a variety of types, as detailed here: ''Throwing: Throwing weapons include knives, shuriken, and chakrams; they are considered one-handed and concealable. They have three points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range. ''Pistols: ''Pistols are concealable guns that can be used in one hand. They have three points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range. ''Longarms: ''Longarms, conversely require two hands and cannot be concealed. They have five points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range. ''Mechanical: ''Mechanical weapons fire via springs, compressed air, or other mechanical forces. They are less powerful than ballistic weapons, but are silent, allowing the wielder to fire without giving away his position. ''Ballistic: ''Ballistic weapons, conversely, fire projectiles via chemical explosions. They are more powerful, but extremely loud and prone to produce flashes of light and plumes of smoke. Anyone attempting to hide or take cover while using a a Ballistic weapon immediately gives away their presence. '''Offense: The ease of aiming and firing a weapon. Offense is added to the number of successes to hit a target. The maximum offense of a Ballistic weapon is 2, and the maximum offense of a Mechanical weapon is 3. Damage: How powerful the weapon is. Damage is added to the number of successes to injure a target. The maximum damage of a Ballistic weapon 4, and the maximum damage of a Mechanical weapon is 3. Range: 'Ranges are measured in feet, and are based on a combination of the wielders Sharpshooting total and a range multiplier. ''Short: ''Short-ranged weapons have limited effective range and are meant for close quarters combat. They can accurately hit a target up to Sharpshooting x 10 feet. Making a weapon short-ranged costs zero points. ''Long: ''Long range weapons are meant for striking distant targets. They have a maximum range of Sharpshooting x 100 feet. Making a long-ranged weapon costs one point. ''Extreme: ''Extreme range include high-powered sniple rifles and rocket launchers. They have no maximum range, and can strike any target the wielder can see. Making a weapon extreme-ranged costs two points. '''Cost: '''Ranged weapons cost a point of Resources. This includes ammunition, and in the case of throwing weapons, as many knives or shuriken as the wielder might need. '''Creation: '''Guns, crossbows, and mechanical ranged weapons are created via the Engineering skill; Bows and throwing weapons are created via the Craftsmanship skill. A character cannot create a weapon with any Rating higher than his Engineering/Craftsmanship rank (thus, to create a gun that had a Damage rating of 3, he would need at least Engineering Rank 3). Sidebar: ''Dual Wielding Pistols Wielding a pistol in each hand is a hallmark of a good gunslinger, and we want to encourage this. When wielding a matched pair of pistols, a character's Offense is increased by one. An extra pistol will, of course, cost an extra point of Resource. Common Ranged Weapons '''Throwing Knives: '''A classic holdout weapon, throwing knives strike a balance between damage and accuracy. '''Shuriken: '''Imported from Japan, Shuriken are tiny, accurate throwing blades. '''Dart Launchers: Dart launchers fire steel darts, often launched via pneumatics or other mechancial rather than chemical means, allowing them to be fired silently. They are frequently mounted on the wrists or hidden in the sleeves. Dart launchers are frequently loaded with with Injector Rounds, and are one of the most popular means of delivering poisons. Light Pistol: This is a catch all for small, low-recoil pistols and revolvers. They don't pack much of a punch, but are easy to aim and fire continuously. Heavy Pistol: Moving up the line, heavy pistols fire larger bullets and pack more of a kick. Hand Cannon: At the top of the “Imposing Handgun” hierarchy are Hand Cannons, smoothbore pistols that are as inaccurate as they are deadly. Hand Cannons are often shotguns, firing clouds of projectiles instead of single bullets. Bow: Though something of antiquity, the compound bow is still favored among Mongolian and Manchu Bannermen, who hold a long history of archery. Like the crossbow, contemporary compound bows can make use of a great number of specialty arrows. Crossbow: Crossbows have been part of Chinese warfare for thousands of years, and their technology has only improved with time. Modern crossbows are often repeaters, capable of semiautomatic or even automatic fire. Carbine: '''A carbine is shortened rifle developed for cavalry. It's shorter barrel lessens it's range, but makes it easier to use in a fight. '''Shotgun: '''Increasingly popular in gang warfare and street fights, Shotguns fire clouds of projectiles from large smoothbore barrels, trading range for damage and ease of use. '''Combat Rifle: A long-barreled firearm, intending for precision and accuracy at a distance. Some rifles use internal magazines to store ammunition, while others have rotating chambers that align with the barrels. Sniper Rifle:'' ''Meant for dealing lethal wounds at extreme distances, sniper rifles are usually outfitted with complex sets of lenses and scopes for sighting their targets. Cannon: '''More at home on tanks than in a person's hands, this refers to the very largest and most difficult to use of personal firearms. '''High Tech Upgrades and Specialty Ammunition Firearm technology has improved greatly since the days of the pole gun and the musket. Just as outlaws favor electrified and flaming swords and whips, so to do they enjoy shooting electrified and flaming bullets. Unless one has the Ingenious Deadly Machines talent, a weapon can only have one ammunition upgrade; a gun could shoot thermal rounds or capacitor rounds, but not thermal capacitor rounds. A character can switch between multiple specialty ammunition types; an archer might carry shock arrows, fire arrows, and grappling hook arrows in their quiver. In S3, we feel like keeping track of individual rounds of ammunition is an unnecessary level of book-keeping. Thus, when purchasing specialty ammunition and the relevant firearm modifications, assume that the cost covers a “lifetime's supply” of ammunition or trick arrows. All ranged weapon Augmentations cost one point of Resources. Ranged Weapon Augmentations Incendiary Rounds: '''These rounds are coated in phosphorous that ignites as they fly through the air, turning the bullets into flaming missiles. Targets shot by them are lit on fire, taking a light wound at the end of each of the target's turns. Mechanical incendiary rounds are usually crossbow bolts hollowed out and filled with explosive gas or fluids. '''Capacitor Rounds: '''These bullets are actually tiny, highly charged capacitors, and they deliver an electrical shock the target's nervous system after making contact. Sometimes, the gun will contain a spinning dynamo that charges the rounds before firing them. As with all electrical attacks, they deal damage to the target's Breath equal to the wound severity (thus, two points of Breath on a medium wound). '''Shredder Rounds: Ballistic shredder rounds are clouds of flachette packed into casings, turning each bullet into a cloud of tiny knives. Mechanical shredder rounds tend to be substantially more ostentatious; all kinds of blade throwers, chakram launchers, and fully automatic shuriken guns have been cooked up by mad inventors throughout China. Explosive Rounds: This gun shoots bombs. In addition to the thrill of being able to say that, it grants an Area Effect to the attack, allowing the shooter to incur a -2 coin penalty to their shot to hit a second target. (see “Area Attacks,” in combat). Armor Piercing Rounds: Armor piercing ammunition is designed to penetrate durable materials; some fire high-density bullets which don't deform on impact, while others fire superheated projectiles capable of melting through metal. In either case, they ignore the armor bonus of a target. Injector Rounds: These weapons have been modified to fire hypodermic needles capable of rapidly delivering drugs and poisons. While any bullet can have poison applied to it, poisons delivered via Injector Rounds take effect immediately, as opposed to at the end of the target's next action. Grappling: Firearms can be modified to shoot grappling hooks instead of bullets. Grappling hook guns and grappling hook arrows are popular accessories among rogues, and are typically used for getting around. They can also be handy in combat to snare and bind foes. Silenced Barrel: '''The barrel of this weapon has been modified to reduce the the thunderous noise of the gunshot. The weapon can be fired without giving away one's position. '''Automatic Fire: The weapon can fire at high speeds, unleashing hails of bullets or arrows or chakrams. Automatic weapons can make Area Attacks. If an automatic weapon is loaded with explosive ammunition (which also allows one to make Area Attacks), the penalty for making one is reduced by one coin. Collapsible: The gun has a a collapsible stock and barrel, allowing it to be broken down and easily hidden. This upgrade makes longarms and non-concealable firearms concealable. 'Section Four: Explosives' Explosives are both and art and a science. Namely, setting them off is an art and making them is a science. When creating an Explosive, there are two main factors: Explosive Type ''and ''Delivery Method. Type: There are a wide variety of types of explosives, detailed below. The type of explosive determines its Damage rating and any special abilities it might have; setting enemies on fire, bypassing armor, and so on. As a general rule, bomb blasts really mess with your hearing. Unless otherwise noted, anyone damaged by an explosive attack is deafened for one round. Delivery Method: 'Explosives can be set off in a number of ways – as parts of traps, thrown as grenades, launched as rockets, and so on. Delivery method is the primary determining factor for the range of an explosive attack. ''Sidebar: Area Attacks Most explosives are capable of Area Attacks, hitting multiple opponents in one bomb blast. When throwing a grenade at multiple opponents, subtract coins from your Explosives check equal to the number of targets you are hitting. Thus, attacking two targets would impose a -2 penalty, three targets a -3, and so on. This applies to both the attack and damage roll. Explosive Effects: '''High Explosive: These are traditional grenades, sending out a sampler's platter of heat, sharpnel, and sheer kinetic energy. Fragmentation: '''These grenades are packed with shot or have brittle shells designed to fragment into shards upon detonation. They upgrade the wound severity against unarmored targets by one level, but downgrade the wound severity against armored targets by one level. '''Concussion: '''A concussion grenade releases a potent shockwave, but no shrapnel, battering foes without killing. They deal nonlethal damage. '''Flashbang: Flashbangs briefly blind and deafen groups of foes. They deal no damage, but anyone struck by one is blinded and deafened for one round, greatly limiting their capacity to act. Incendiary: These grenades are filled with a highly flammable phosphorous gas. Anyone damaged by them is lit on fire, taking a light wound at the end of each of their rounds until extinguished. Because they deal damage through heat, instead of kinetic energy, they bypass most normal armor. Incendiary grenades don't deafen foes like normal bombs, but they do blind them for a round. Anti-Armor: High-temperature explosives are meant to burn straight through armor. They ignore a foe's armor rating. Blinding Smoke: '''These grenades are similar to smoke bombs, except that the smoke burns the eyes. Anyone effected by Blinding Smoke is blinded for one round, and will stay blinded as long as they are within the cloud. Smoke grenades generate enough vapor to fill roughly one large room. This can be make them deadly indoors, but of minimal threat in wide open spaces. '''Chemical Bomb: '''These explosives have been filled with an aerosol acid, coolant, or another chemical substance. In addition to normal damage, the target suffers any relevant effect from the chemical compound. The damage listed is only for chemicals which are hazardous to the health; extinguisher grenades, for example, are sometimes used to rescue burning comrades in a bomb-fight. '''Poison Bomb: The smoke from these explosives has been mixed with a drug or poison, administering it to all who fall within the explosives radius. For poison effects, see below. Sidebar: Gases and Small Rooms Smoke bombs and Poison gases are particularly deadly when used in close quarters, where targets have nowhere to flee. When deployed in a small room (say, less than 10 by 10 feet), a gas grenade effects everyone – friend and foe – without penalty to Offense or Damage. Anyone who succesfully dodges must flee to the room to do so. Delivery Methods Explosives can be delivered in multiple ways – traps, thrown grenades, and so on. Various pieces of equipment have been developed for propelling explosives, listed below. Explosives have to be configured for the way they're being delivered – you can't shoot a hand grenade out of a rocket launcher. Trap: '''Explosives are frequently set up as booby traps – landmines, tripwires, time bombs, and so on. Traps are still set via the attacker's Explosives skill, and can be detected via Awareness. '''Wired Detonator: '''Long detonation cords lead between the explosive payload and a detonator. They allow the bomber to safely set off their explosive at their leisure. Wireless detonators are not an option, unless one of your players invents Radio in the course of the game. '''Hand Grenade:' '''The basic delivery method of grenades – throwing it. Grenades are short ranged and concealable thrown weapons. '''Grenade Launcher:' ''To add reach to grenades, sometimes a grenade launcher will be employed. The launcher itself is a non-concealable two-handed mechanical weapon, and it upgrades the range on the grenade to Long. They cost one point of Resources. '''Rocket Pistol:' Increasingly popular among outlaws and street gangs, the Rocket Pistol is a one-handed miniature rocket launcher for firing miniature rockets. It is considered a one-handed ballistic pistol, and upgrades the grenades range to Medium. Their small size makes them ideal for being used from vehicles or built into suits of power armor. They cost one point of Resources. Rocket Launcher: ' For truly long-range explosive demolition, grenades can be fitted into rockets. Rocket launchers are a non-concealable ballistic longarm, and upgrade the grenades range to Extreme. They cost two points of resources. Flamethrowers and Controlled Explosion Weaponry Some weapons just don't fit in with the rest. Namely, flamethrowers and weapons like flamethrowers. Flamethrowers are an explosive weapon, not so much in the sense of throwing an ''explosive, but in the sense of throwing an ''explosion. ''Similarly, one can create weapons that throw explosions of poison or electricity. In general, these weapons tend to be powerful, short-ranged, and expensive. '''Cost: '''Controlled explosive weaponry is notoriously expensive. They default cost is 2; typically half of that is for the device and half for the product being delivered. '''Flamethrower: A flamethrower fires a jet of burning gas or liquid, capable of setting a hole room ablaze. Because they deal damage based on heat rather than kinetic energy, they bypass most types of armor. Anyone struck by a flamethrower is lit on fire, and takes a light wound at the end of each their actions unless extinguished. Like grenades, flamethrowers are capable of hitting multiple opponents with an area attack. Most flamethrowers are rifle-like contraptions with fuel tanks under their barrel or strapped to the back of the user, though the “dual wrist-mounted flamethrower” is rapidly growing in popularity. '''Chemical Launcher: '''A slight variant on Flamethrowers, Chemical Launchers spray clouds of acid or other chemical substances in lieu of incendiaries. A full list of these can be found below under “Chemicals”. They have the same basic operating parameters as flamethrowers – ignoring conventional armor, being capable of making area attacks – but substitute the fire damage aspect for that of whatever chemical they're launching. Thus, to make a freeze-gun, one would need to purchase a chemical launcher and a supply of super coolant separately. If a character has access to multiple chemicals, the launcher can be loaded with any of them. '''Poison Sprayer: '''Like Chemical Launchers, these weapons are designed to launch clouds of poisonous mist. If a character has access to multiple poison gases, the sprayer can be loaded with any of them. '''Arc Projector: '''Almost strictly the domain of mad scientists, Arc Projectors hurl bolts of lightning through the air. Like flamethrowers, they bypass most armor, and their targets lose Breath points equal to the severity of the wound inflicted. Most resemble large, stocky rifles with massive batteries and spinning dynamos, though like with flamethrowers, the “double wrist mounted” variety is growing in popularity. '''Lightning Rifle: '''Lightning Rifles are a more refined version of Arc Projectors; instead of hurling blasts of electricity over short distances, they fire a single bolt of lightning over a great distance. As electrical weapons, they ignore conventional armor, and deal Breath damage equal to the severity of the wound inflicted.